PPORA is excited to share a new outdoor recreation economic impact report. Today the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account has released the 2023 data on the economic impact of outdoor recreation in the U.S. This report details economic trends across recreation types, sectors, and states as well as including information on jobs, economic impact, and growth.  The BEA’s analysis is a valuable resource to help drive decision making for the outdoor recreation industry and establish the importance of outdoor recreation in business and policy decision-making.

Some of the key highlights include; In 2023 Outdoor Recreation:

  • Generated $1.2 trillion in economic output, up 5% from 2022
  • Comprised 2.3% of the GDP
  • Supported 5 million jobs – 3.1% of all employees
  • Has grown 36% (real/inflation adjusted) since 2012

In 2023 in Colorado, Outdoor Recreation:

  • Added over $17.2 million in economic output
  • Comprised 3.2% of the state GDP up from 2.8% in 2022
  • Supported over 130,000 jobs
  • Has grown 10.6% from 2022 to 2023

For more information see the press release from the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR), this highlight of the Slides from the ORR’s Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account Release webinar, or visit the BEA Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account news release.